Sheffield Wednesday: Carvalhal hails Owls work ethic

Dom Howson

Owls boss Carlos Carvalhal praised his players attitude and work-rate following their 1-1 draw at York City today.

Wednesday maintained their unbeaten run in pre-season, with new signing Lewis McGugan cancelling out Marvin McCoy’s 33rd minute strike.

Head coach Carvalhal, who made eight changes at half-time, told The Star: “It was a hard game. There were some good and bad parts. We made some new mistakes but this is the time to make them.

“The score is not important in these games. It’s important to try and win but the most important game is the Bristol City match on August 8.

“The team are working hard. We wanted to see what they could do in these conditions. We kept going and tried to win.

“We are improving. We want to get the players fit and ready for the start of the season. I am happy with the players but I’m still getting to know them.”

It was McGugan’s first appearance since completing his move from Premier League new boys Watford. Wednesday are believed to have spent £300,000 on the midfielder, who impressed in two loan spells at Hillsborough last season.

“I am very happy with Lewis,” commented Carvalhal. “He is a quality player. We feel he will help make us better.”

The Portuguese confirmed Keiren Westwood, Jack Hunt and Stevie May will resume first-team training next week. The trio were notable absentees from the trip to Bootham Crescent.

Although Wednesday have captured eight new players over the summer, Carvalhal is still keen to bring in further reinforcements.

“We want quality players and we are working hard to add to the team,” he said.